"This tiny spot under the Franklin Avenue C stop feels very much like a dinner party at a friend’s house. For starters, the whole operation is about the size of a studio apartment, and the playlist reliably includes Ja Rule and Ashanti. Whether you’re seated at one of the two-tops, the long communal table, or on one of the five bar seats, a dinner here will inevitably involve some eavesdropping and elbow-bumping by candlelight. But once the clam toast, pork milanese, and lamb burgers hit the table, you won’t be focused on anything but good food and great company." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja
"Quarters are tight at Hart’s but that’s precisely what helps make this restaurant one of the sexiest date spots around. Light and breezy, coastal-focused dishes like the popular clam toast are what’s highlighted on the menu here. Daily-changing specials offer something new to find with each visit — making it a date spot that never gets old. Just be sure to stop by a little early, as it can be hard to snag a seat during peak dinner hours." - Melissa McCart
"True intimacy involves developing a baseline comfort level with various odors. And this Bed-Stuy restaurant (and eldest sibling to Cervo’s, The Fly, and Eel Bar) gets that. Hart’s is hosting a “Love Stinks” Valentine’s Day dinner for the eighth year in a row. At $105 per person, this four-course menu—available on two nights, February 13 and 14—highlights stinky cheese and anchovies, plus on-theme grilled chicken hearts. Book your table here." - neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick
"Every Friday at 12pm, this American spot in Bed-Stuy updates its website with new wines, cocktails, and food options like ground lamb and white anchovies. Everything is available for curbside pick-up on Sundays from 11am to 4pm." - hannah albertine, nikko duren, bryan kim, arden shore, matt tervooren
"Perfect Order: The regular suspects: clam toast, pork Milanese, and the grass-fed lamb burger—plus any small plates that strike your fancy. Before you tell us that Hart’s is the tiniest restaurant ever and we’re crazy for recommending it, hear us out: Every time we come here, we see a double date, and we think they might be onto something. The Bed-Stuy restaurant from the team behind The Fly and Eel Bar (two places that also work for double dates) has a rotating menu that’s hard to make a dent in without a few people, but it’s also very dark and extra candlelit. Hence the double date. The only thing that’s hard to split between four people is the aioli-covered lamb burger, but it’s pretty perfect, so we trust that you’ll figure it out." - molly fitzpatrick, hannah albertine, willa moore, will hartman